Saturday, March 1, 2014

What can we do to achieve that happy mindset while the weather isn't cooperating? Even though the pharmacy recording is telling us to order meds for the impending allergy season, we're still shivering Here are 4 suggestions.

1.) Research published in BMC Psychiatry has linked low levels of vitamin B12 with "loss of appetite and sleep, and low mood." The researchers state that B12 each day will help to keep us smiling. Making sure we have enough B12 is as easy as eating yogurt(8 oz.) and a slice of Swiss cheese each day (SELF, Feb., 2014, 24)
.2.) Since we've finally had a thaw with pouring rain instead of the usual snow, maybe we can lighten up enough to appreciate the beauty that the icy blasts bring.

Mary Kay shows us some of the beauty of winter.

3.) But if these two suggestions aren't enough to move you to that cheerful state, consider looking at Cheryl's and Joan H's pictures. Then close your eyes and imagine wiggling your toes in the warm sand of milder climes.

4.)AND, if all else fails, look below. These will definitely move you to that happy state!

John Wagner, creator of "Maxine" says "Cartoonists are sensitive to the insanities of the world; we just try to humanize them." (taken from "The Writer Today" about an aspiring author's journey into the writing world.)

The end of Maxine

As we progress into 2014, I want to thank you foryour educational e-mails over the past year. I amtotally screwed up now and have little chance of recovery.I can no longer open a bathroom door without usinga paper towel, nor let the waitress put lemon slices inmy ice water without worrying about the bacteria onthe lemon peel.I can't sit down on a hotel bedspread because I canonly imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed.I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has beendriving because the number one pastime while driving aloneis picking one's nose.Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip because Ican only imagine how many gallons of trans fats I haveconsumed over the years.I can't touch any woman's handbag for fear she has placedit on the floor of a public toilet.I must send my special thanks for the email about rat poo in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wetsponge with every envelope that needs sealing.ALSO,now I have to scrub the top of every can I open forthe same reason.I can't have a drink in a bar because I fear I'll wake upin a bathtub full of ice with my kidneys gone.I can't eat at KFC because their chickens are actually horriblemutant freaks with no eyes, feet or feathers.I can't use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smelllike a water buffalo on a hot day.Thanks to you I have learned that my prayers only get answeredif I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wishwithin five minutes.Because of your concern,I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.I no longer buy I no longer buy fuel without taking someone along to watch the car, so a serial killer doesn't crawl in my back seat when I'm filling up.I no longer use Cling Wrap in the microwave because it causes seven different types of cancer.And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face,disfiguring me for life.I no longer go to the cinema because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS when I sit down.I no longer go to shopping centers because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me..

And I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a huge phone bill withcalls to Jamaica , Uganda , Singapore and Uzbekistan ..Thanks to you I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because abig black snake could be lurking under the seat and cause meinstant death when it bites my butt.And thanks to your great advice I can't ever pick up a dime coin dropped in the car park because it was probablyplaced there by a sex molester waiting to grab me as I bend over.I can't do any gardening because I'm afraid I'll get bittenby the Violin Spider and my hand will fall off.If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people inthe next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon, and thefleas from 120 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor’s ex mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's best friend's beautician!

Oh, and by the way...

A German scientist from Argentina , after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mails with their hand on the mouse.

Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.

P. S. I now keep my toothbrush in the living room, because I was told by e-mail that water splashes over 6 ft. outof the toilet..NOW YOU HAVE YOURSELF A VERY GOOD DAY…

Our thanks to Jo who forwarded this "Maxine" to us, and of course, to the wonderful mind of John Wagner for creating a character who always makes us laugh while we identify with the same "insanities of the world."

Every day, many times a day, we find out interesting info that we didn't know. Humbling, but very interesting. Any fiends, children or grandchildren, nieces, nephews or younger friends you know may also enjoy adding the info on killer whales and wolves to their knowledge base.

1. What do the women of the world have in common with Pilot Whales and Killer Whales? Hint: You might not want any men you know to consider this question!

The answer? All three go through menopause. Interestingly, the whales stop having baby whales while in their 30's or 40's. They then "live to their nineties and help raise their 'grandchildren'." We don't usually think of killer whales as doting grandmas. (MORE, Feb. , 2014, 17).

2. In a few weeks, a new documentary will be airing on TV that investigates the fear we humans have of wolves.
﻿

(Bing Images)

Many of us might know that already. But do any of us know the way that wolves can change rivers?

To find out, click on the Films for Action (only a few minutes long and worth the look) link below. http://www.filmsforaction.org/mobile/?sid=1582&type=films it might change your view of the wolf. Or it will, at least, help us to understand the complicated way our natural world works.

Four book selections have earned the praise of our contributors. They span fiction, historical fiction/biography, and nonfiction choices.

Fiction:THE MAISIE DOBBS MYSTERIES Pearl suggests the Maisie Dobbs mysteries. She says, "My daughter Susan turned me on to a wonderful mystery series by Jacqueline Winspear. They take place in England, and begin around WWI. I have found them easy to read with detailed descriptions of British class differences along with descriptions of clothing, housing, transportation, and other interesting details about life in England."

Fiction:COMMAND AUTHORITY(2013). Tom Clancy's final novel again visits Jack Ryan, the US President, his son, Jack Jr. and recurring characters from earlier works who are sent by Ryan to fight international threats. Reading Clancy's final work now is particularly relevant with the growing international concern about the Ukraine. Ryan's past connects with son Jack's present, bringing back memories of a KGB assassin from 30 years ago and linking to current political corruption and military threats of turmoil in the Ukraine.(Expert Book Reviews in GoodReads.com).

Historical Fiction/Biography: Joan H recommends THE INVENTION OF WINGS by Mary Monk Kidd. Published this year, the book recounts the lives of Sarah Grimke and her sister, as they grow up in the South and develop a revulsion for the institution of slavery while those around them accept it as usual, necessary, and even a God-given right.

Sarah and Angelina Grimke play pivotal historical roles in the abolition of slavery and the women's rights movement. And their stories are intertwined with that of the fictional slave, Hetty, who grows up with Sarah. Her birth name, "Handful," describes her well. Hetty's fierce determination to assert her dignity and to struggle for freedom illustrate the slave's existence in Charleston during the 1800s.

Nonfiction: Eric suggests EMPIRE OF TRUST: How Rome Built-and America is Building-A New World (2008) by Thomas F. Madden. With so much negativity in the media today, we forget that there could be hope for a more optimistic view.

"Does America face the same destiny endured by ancient Rome? Is the U.S. military overextended? Does the separation of church and state strengthen or weaken a geopolitical powerhouse? Is the United States just another Empire of Conquest being corrupted by its own power? Of late, it is not only historians who have been asking these questions."(GoodReads.com)

"Thomas Madden, an award-winning professor of history, now shows almost everything we thought we knew about Rome to be wrong, and revolutionizes our understanding of what a good world empire can be" (GoodReads.com). Madden sees the United States as a possible 'Empire of Trust'. And "Madden is on a mission to get pundits, candidates, and... all of us to recognize this profound duty"(GoodReads.com)

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Hmmm...a description of Over 60 Woman...the first words coming to mind are 'information hound' and 'kook magnet'-both descriptions given to me during my professional career by fellow administrators, faculty and students-and both very well deserved!
But important words like grateful granddaughter, daughter, and niece or doting wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and sister as well as loyal friend and protector of children fit better.
Retired teacher, UG and GR professor,and graduate dean sum up my professional career with published author popping up along the way.
Obviously, everything (except most professional sports!) interests me. A voracious reader, I'm especially curious about what interests other over-60 women and why.
Sorry! I forgot the downsides: compulsive, intense, too focused, and sometimes my Irish moody side surfaces. None of these descriptors could possibly be true, of course, but my family continues to remind me that they are.